[Rafaelninja13]

I have learned a lot about the best types of live insects to feed hedgies, but I am having a hard time learning what size of insects to feed.

• For example, you can buy roaches and crickets in all sorts of sizes, from less than 0.25" to over 1". BSFL come in sizes between 0.25-0.75". Even other various worms like hornworms, silkworms, mealworms, and superworms can be bought or grown to different sizes.

I currently have a 10-week old hedgehog. What size insects would be best for her now, and what size should I feed when she is fully grown?

I do want to feed her a variety of insects, so would it be best to keep them on the smaller side to keep calories down?

• I plan on feeding her 1-2 tablespoons of kibble per day (currently on Spike's Ultra Plus w/Insects) as well as 1 BSFL and either 1 dubia roach or 2 crickets every day. I also plan to give her hornworms or silkworms 3 times a week, and she will get 1-2 waxworms or butterworms weekly as a treat. Regardless of size, do you think this is way too much food for a hedgie? Any advice on this plan? Once she is older I plan on switching her kibble to 25% Spike's Ultra Plus w/Insects and 75% Hedgehog Precision's low-calorie formula to help reduce calories from her kibble.

 

[Emc]

The size of the insect honestly really does not matter. They will chomp them up. Dubia roaches, BSFL & crickets are not aggressive anyway, so hedgehogs can handle any size usually just fine.

I wouldn’t give a super young baby a huge morioworm of hornworm, but for all other insects I honestly would not be concerned over size.

In terms of quantity, this is something that hugely varies from hedgehog to hedgehog. Usually one tablespoon is more than suffice, but some hogs require more and some require less. I would include more daily insects though. BSFL are super tiny and two insects per day is a really small amount for an insectivore. I’d honestly aim for around 5-10 bugs a day as a guideline to start.

as a side note; I’m honestly finding it hard to assess the quality of the spikes hedgehog food as it doesn’t list percentage of animal protein used in the kibble. In general though, hedgehog food doesn’t have the best reputation with regards to quality. But any food you do feed should state the percentage of meat in the kibble. For hedgehogs, the total animal protein % of their kibble should ideally be at a very minimum 60%. Excess amount of carbs in their diet can lead to a very chunky hedgehog.